Attendance
Present at the meeting were Steve Helwig, Dave Reed, Laura Armstrong, Dana Droessler-Fager, Mark Rooney, Judy Steinhauer, Keith White, Steve Salerno, Peggy Zalucha, Liz Grabe, Aubree Hanks, and guest Tristin Marklin.
 

Welcome
The club warmly welcomed Bill back as a new member. Steve presented him with a folder of resources and two plaques including the 4-way test.

Welcome Bill Dunnington!

Presentation
Tristin Marklin, who was born and raised in Mount Horeb, shared his plans for the 2025–2026 school year, during which he will study in Taiwan. His interest in history and culture is what drives his desire to travel, with history being his favorite subject. Encouraged by his Spanish teacher, he joined Rotary and was immediately connected with John. Tristin is a fan of sports—particularly hockey and football—and enjoys talking, video games, photo editing, drawing, writing, and going for walks.

He has three older brothers, one of whom deeply influenced his love for connecting with others before sadly passing away. Tristin comes from a large, close-knit family primarily involved in the trades; he himself works as a mason with Mount Horeb Masonry. Though most of his relatives have lived in Wisconsin, he has one aunt and uncle who reside elsewhere.

Tristin is well-traveled, having visited Puerto Rico, Arizona, South Dakota, and participated in RYLA. Football played a major role in his life until a serious knee injury in sixth grade ended his participation, but the experience helped him value the support and companionship of his friends. While in Taiwan, he’ll be staying with the Wong family, who have three children. Though they can read English, they’re excited to practice speaking it with his help.

He won’t be selecting his own classes, but the school is committed to placing him where he will succeed. There’s no gym class or sports like volleyball, and school hours run from before 8 a.m. until after 5 p.m. Taiwan is 13 hours ahead of Wisconsin, and as per Rotary rules, he will be allowed to travel with his host family, switching hosts approximately every three months.
 

Frolic: we need help covering all the shifts this weekend!
Tristin has kindly agreed to participate in Frolic, and members are encouraged to invite their friends to help out. Some shifts currently only have 3–4 people, so please consider adjusting your schedule to ensure all time slots are covered. Please check out the sign up to help with the shifts that are light on volunteers.
On Sundays, brats will be served at the Rotary tent—these are precooked and just need to be heated and seared before serving.
 

Happy Bucks
Bill expressed his happiness about becoming a member once again. Judy shared her excitement over the beautiful strawberry moon and encouraged everyone to take time to view it. She was also touched by a call from her granddaughter, who reached out to spend time with her.